By KYLE HOPKINS and MIKE CAMPBELL
khopkins@adn.com
It’s a dog-and-pony show without the ponies. A squealing, barking circus before the Iditarod begins for real Sunday in Willow.
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But Saturday’s ceremonial start in Downtown Anchorage — most fans’ best chance to see mushers and their dogs up close before they disappear into the Alaska wilderness — still has the power to send chills through the saltiest veterans.
Reigning Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion Lance Mackey described what it feels like behind the sled: “People everywhere, loud. High-fiving me. Rooting me on. Just cheering for me.”
